John Powers (basketball)

John Powers is an American basketball player and coach who played for, coached, and was athletic director at Manhattan College. He was also executive director of the National Invitation Tournament.

Playing career
Powers played for the Manhattan Jaspers men's basketball team from 1955 to 1958. He averaged 15.4 points per game and 7.5 rebounds per game during his career. He scored 26 points in Manhattan's 84–75 loss to Uconn in the 1956 NCAA basketball tournament. Manhattan returned to the NCAA tournament in 1958, and Powers scored 29 points in the Jaspers' 89–84 victory over Jerry West and the West Virginia Mountaineers.

Coaching career
Powers coached football and basketball at Mamaroneck High School before returning to his alma mater in 1967 as an assistant basketball coach. The following year, he replaced the retiring Ken Norton as head coach. In his ten seasons as head coach, Powers complied a 142–114 record.

Administration
Power left coaching in 1978 to accept an administrative position at the school. The following year, he became Manhattan's athletic director. He was the executive director of the National Invitation Tournament from 1988 until the tournament was taken over by the National Collegiate Athletic Association in 2005.

Honors
Powers has been inducted into the Manhattan College, Mamaroneck High School, Catholic High School Athletic Association and, Brooklyn Old Timers halls of fame. In 2015, he became the first Manhattan men's basketball player to have his uniform number retired.